Hurricane Gonzalo Plunges Bermuda into Darkness

Hurricane Gonzalo made a direct hit on Bermuda as a strong category two storm, knocking down trees, damaging a hospital and plunging most of the island's terrified residents into the dark.

Gonzalo, which had already killed one person and caused property damage in the Caribbean, buffeted the British overseas territory in the Atlantic with maximum sustained winds of 110 miles (175 kilometers) per hour, forecasters said.

By 0900 GMT Saturday, Gonzalo had torn its way over Bermuda and was about 190 miles northeast of the island -- home to about 65,000 people -- and moving quickly away, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest forecast, downgrading it to a tropical storm.

The island's only newspaper, The Royal Gazette, reported that 31,200 homes -- or a majority of Bermudians -- were without power.

Flooding and storm surges were reported all around the island, trees were down across many roads and the main hospital had suffered damage to its roof, the report said.

Holidaymakers and residents said they were praying for the best, with the full extent of the destruction yet to become clear.

Sharon Scott, writing on Twitter, said: "The morning after the night before! We made it! No idea about our boats. Can't go out yet, roads impassable. Hope all in Bermuda are safe."

The storm was forecast to pass near the coast of Newfoundland, on Canada's eastern coast, on Saturday night and into early Sunday.

Forecasters were also warily eyeing Tropical Storm Trudy, which was intensifying quickly, prompting Mexican authorities to issue a hurricane watch from east of Acapulco to Lagunas de Chacahua.

And there was also Hurricane Ana, the center of which was predicted to pass about 150 miles southwest of Hawaii's Big Island, triggering heavy downpours.

Gonzalo caused widespread disruption in affluent Bermuda as it closed in.

Schools, businesses, grocery stores and government offices all closed early, and many people boarded up the windows of their homes and placed sandbags outside in preparation.

Officials had urged residents to stay indoors and off the roads.

"I wish everyone all the best for the next 24 hours. Good luck -- and look after each other," said Governor George Fergusson, the representative of the British crown in the archipelago.

Bermuda's international airport shuttered operations before the storm hit and was not expected to reopen until Saturday at the earliest, causing holiday misery for thousands of well-heeled tourists.

Gonzalo's wrath had already been felt in the Virgin Islands, the northern coasts of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, and portions of the Bahamas, as well as the southeastern coast of the United States.

The days leading up to the arrival of Gonzalo saw a run on local stores in Bermuda, as residents stocked up with provisions and hurricane survival kits.

Generators were sold out in most places, with Bermuda anticipating a long stretch without power. Many people had only just had their electrical supply restored following Tropical Storm Fay the previous weekend.

The Bermuda Weather Service warned the storm's impact could be as severe as Hurricane Fabian in 2003, which killed four people and caused $300 million worth of damage.

Many boats in the harbors had been pulled out of the water, while British Royal Navy warship HMS Argyll headed to the island to help with expected post-Gonzalo relief efforts.

Gonzalo's only known victim so far was an octogenarian sailor killed in the Dutch territory of St. Maarten.

Gonzalo was the seventh storm of the Atlantic season, which stretches from June to November.

Hurricane Cristobal left at least four people dead in late August when it thrashed the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands and the Dominican Republic with heavy rains causing serious flooding.